The Metaphysics of Shoes: 12 Extraordinary Steps to Empower Your Sole's Journey
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About this ebook
Discover your inner power to master your soles journey!
Using the practical approach of short stories, author and inspirational teacher Charline E. Manuel uses shoes as a medium to highlight life-lessons for personal, professional, and spiritual growth.
The Metaphysics of Shoes presents 12 Extraordinary Steps to empower your walk through life.
As you read these stories and contemplate their deeper meaning your mental attitude, appreciation for life, and inner power will elevate to new levels of personal fulfillment. Embedded in these shoe stories youll discover
Greater inner strength How the power of imagination can work to heal disappointment A deeper level of your authentic personal power One method to release long held fears The wisdom of using one of lifes most important gifts How divine order is revealed in a very practical way The importance of developing an understanding heart How to use personal will to achieve goals Why respect for life is an important criteria for choosing friends and associates One way to use your faith to get answers to your prayers Where to find the love youve been searching for
In the end, youll know why Manuel makes the declaration Shoes are more than a fashion statement!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ghcNebBYwDY
Charline E. Manuel
Charline E. Manuel is a spiritual leader and ordained minister. For over seventeen years, through her lectures, personal growth seminars, retreats, and workshops, she has helped thousands to grow spiritually, set and achieve goals, and fulfill their dreams. She is also author of the book Pray Up Your Life and the Pray Up Your Life Self-Exploration Companion Workbook.
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Reviews for The Metaphysics of Shoes
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- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nothing much about shoes-just some glimpses of life.Overall ok read.
Book preview
The Metaphysics of Shoes - Charline E. Manuel
Copyright © 2012 Charline E. Manuel
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012905481
Balboa Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:
Balboa Press
A Division of Hay House
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.balboapress.com
1-(877) 407-4847
ISBN: 978-1-4525-4954-5 (e)
ISBN: 978-1-4525-4956-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4525-4955-2 (hc)
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.
Scripture Quotations taken from the New King James Version except where otherwise noted.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
Balboa Press rev. date: 04/26/2012
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Baby Shoes
Dancing Shoes
A Man and His Gators
Stilettos
Shoe Shine
Footprints in the Snow
In His Shoes
Lucky Shoes
Bloody Soles
Broken Heel
Bowling Shoes
Royal Sandals
In Summary
Conclusion
About the Author
For Greg, who asked the question, and for all those
whose lives will be blessed by the answer.
How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter!
Song of Solomon 7:1
Acknowledgments
Writing this book was a labor of love, and those who loved me through the process made my labor worthwhile.
I am grateful to the caring friends and family who did not even flinch when I told them I was writing an inspirational book using shoes as the theme.
My heart is filled with appreciation for my daughter, Tiffany, who believed with me that this book was indeed a good idea, and who also believed I could write it.
Thank you to Reverend Prentiss Davis, Wilma Moore Black and Ibrahim Ramey for the feedback and editorial assistance on the extremely rough first draft.
To my family and loved ones, whose life experiences inspired the stories in the book, I give a sincere thank-you for being in my life.
To Billy,
a big thank-you is appropriate. Who knew back in second grade that your instigations would become a motivation for my persistence to write what I hope is a number one best-selling book?
Last but not least, I am grateful for the publishing staff at Balboa Press for helping to bring this book into physical form.
Introduction
For the Love of Shoes
Shoes have been on my mind since I was in the second grade. Not directly, nor consistently, but as part of the thoughts, feelings, and emotions stored in the memory bank of my subconscious mind. It was when a male friend asked me a few years ago, Why do women love shoes so much?
that I began to explore my love
for shoes. I didn’t have a clear answer to his question at the time. Back then, I thought my love for shoes was about the beauty, color, and style of the variety of shoes that just seemed to look good on my feet. How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince’s daughter! (Song of Solomon 7:1) For me, this scripture said it all.
However, my friend’s question stayed with me. I thought about it until I came up with some clues from my past and made some revealing discoveries. I was able to pinpoint two early childhood experiences that have caused shoes to be on my mind for over fifty years now. Just as my friend suggested, I am guilty of being one of those women who love shoes and shopping for them. As I recalled some of the key stories from my life, I realized that my love went much deeper than simply enjoying the beauty of a good-looking pair on my feet. Now I can address my friend’s question: Our love for shoes is not just about shoes. Behind our outer attention to them are life stories that involve experiences in places where our shoes have taken us, and the hope of where they will take us in the future. The stories from our pasts hold pain that challenged us to grow, as well as pleasures that caused us to celebrate. Either way, our shoes hold us up and carry us through the changing seasons of our lives. Future stories await the arrival of our shoes on the terrain of unfulfilled dreams, the road toward personal victory over life’s circumstances, and the pathway to satisfy the divine compulsion to strive for our highest potential. For the shoe lover, shoes provide the opportunity to customize our journey with our own personal taste, style, and attitude, an opportunity to make our own unique set of footprints on that which we deem worthy of our time and attention. How we adorn our feet is more than a fashion statement; it announces a particular perspective of how we see ourselves going forward from wherever we are to wherever we want to go, to do whatever is before us to do. Yes, we love shoes, but we also seize the chance to dress our feet appropriately for our various levels of excitement, intention, and outlook while traveling on our unique expeditions through this lifetime.
The Metaphysics of Shoes provides an opportunity to delve into our own personal experiences and discover that we all have shoe stories. They’re not unique to women, and each person’s story is based on one’s own sole’s
journey—where that person has been and where he or she hopes to go. This book is about the empowering lessons embedded in our real-life parables. Just like the narratives we live, the stories written herein reflect hope, love, and joy as well as fear, struggle, and challenge. In each story, there are also learning opportunities that can make a positive impact on our lives and those of others. Let me explain by sharing two stories from my childhood.
I am the seventh child of a family of eight children. I was born severely pigeon-toed, a condition that has both feet turning inward. Because it was difficult to walk, I had to wear doctor-prescribed corrective shoes. The process of going shoe shopping should have been dull since the only selection involved a choice between brown and black. However, the experience turned out to be a special time that made a deep and lasting mark on my life.
The few times I had my mother’s full attention all to myself were when she took me for the prescription, fitting, and purchase of shoes. In the 1950s, the stores in Detroit that sold corrective shoes were located in out-of-the-way places and far from doctors’ offices. It took my mother and me a half day of traveling by bus and at least two to three visits to complete the acquisition of a single pair of shoes. Since none of my brothers and sisters wanted so much as to be seen in a store that only had boring
shoes, it was just Mom and me on our missions. So for me, acquiring a pair of shoes was an event, one that nurtured the development of a deep and lasting connection with my mother. On those days spent together, Mom and I talked about everything imaginable; it was our special time. We built a close relationship on those Saturdays sitting on the bus, with me asking many questions and Mom responding in her loving and wise way.
As mentioned, it was in the second grade that the joy of shopping for shoes expanded to a new level; the seeds for my love of shoes were planted in my heart and mind. My birthday is in December, so I was not allowed to start kindergarten until I was almost six. That meant I was a bit taller than many of my classmates. And I was chubby, so that’s what they called me. I wore thick glasses with light blue frames. A silver chain dangled from them and wrapped around my neck—Mom’s assurance that I wouldn’t lose them. My clothes were worn and a bit too large on me since they were hand-me-downs from my older sister. I had long, thick hair that would not stay braided for the whole school day despite my mom’s best efforts. And of course, I wore corrective shoes. To say I was awkward-looking is being kind. I accepted the teasing and learned to deal with it by putting my face in books and living in a fantasy world of my own.
When a boy (I’ll call him Billy since I don’t remember his real name) teased me in second grade, something changed in me. As best I can remember on that life-changing day, the scene went something like this: Look at her,
Billy said to a group of children standing in the hallway as I approached. She’s so ugly… and look at her baby shoes.
The children around him seemed to agree and began laughing and pointing at my shoes. Then the worst happened. As Billy chanted baby shoes, baby shoes, baby shoes,
the other children joined in. A teacher came to my rescue after a few horrible minutes, but the damage had been done. I was hurt, not just because they were teasing me—I was used to that—but up until that time, no one had ever made a big deal about my corrective shoes. I felt the words baby shoes
piercing my body. It especially hurt because I had a crush on Billy, and up until that experience, I thought he had a crush on me too. On top of being publicly humiliated, I had my first heartbreak.
To make matters worse, Mom had me wear corrective shoes year-round until I was nearly eleven, long after the doctor stopped prescribing them for me. In all fairness, Mom wanted to be sure my feet were perfect so she sentenced
me to a few extra years of wearing what was stuck in my mind as baby shoes.
However, it turned out that the teasing I received from Billy was just the beginning. The older I got, the more my baby shoes
became a target for kids who needed someone to tease.
It should have been no surprise that when I got my first part-time job at sixteen and received my first paycheck, I bought two pairs of shoes. With the newfound freedom of having my own money and not having to wear corrective shoes, I was officially a shoe lover, and I had the added distinction of loving to shop for them as well.
Over the years, shopping for shoes became a kind of therapy for me. When I was feeling a little down, a trip to the shoe store would suddenly have me feeling better. The uplifting therapy session
brought forth a resurgence of joy, comfort, and hope. When I could afford it (and sometimes when I couldn’t), the purchase of cute shoes was my defense against Billy’s indictment, allowing the awkward-looking second grader within me the chance to redeem herself as beautiful and worthy of love.
I have lived most of my adult life thinking my love for shoes was about them. And why not? Shoes in and of themselves have a lot to offer. When I shop, I love looking at them, touching them, trying them on, and admiring them on my feet. I enjoy giving my opinion if another shopper asks, How do you think these look on me?
When I find a pair I truly like, I purchase it in several different colors. I enjoy inspecting the new styles and designs. I love planning an outfit around a new pair of shoes. But even with all this love, there is more to it.
As I began to examine the experiences that have shaped my relationship with shoes, I developed a curiosity about the experiences of others. Observing and listening to their stories, I became convinced that there are lessons we can learn from them. And we can use those lessons to grow in positive and inspiring ways.
For example, some of us will purchase and wear shoes that are too small, too tight, or too big. We seem generally uninterested or unaware of the fact that ill-fitting shoes can cause sore feet, bunions, calluses, cramped legs, lower back pain, and achy knees, for men and women alike. Part of this willingness to bear such pain is due to the change in the way we purchase shoes. Back in the 1950s, shoe stores had salespersons, or specialists. They would measure your feet first to determine an accurate size. They would put the shoes on your feet and then test to see if they were a good fit. A good specialist would be relentless in getting a good fit, even if it meant bringing out several different pairs of shoes. As time eliminated the personal touch, comfort fell by the wayside and we focused more on style, design, color, and so forth. So is any of this about a love for shoes? Yes and no.
Long ago, our ancestors discovered that feet demand protection in order to journey in hot and cold climates or to travel over rough and rocky roads. Shoes represent the armor and shield protecting us as we move forward on life’s sometimes challenging pathways. What we’ve learned is that the quality of our footwear can support, delay, or even end our journey abruptly. When they’re adequate for the path we’re traveling, they add vitality to the steps we take and support our desire to go where we want to go. Shoes matter!
I had this awareness confirmed one day as I was observing one of my grandsons. Caleb, eighteen months old at the time, was attempting to get his father’s attention. My son-in-law was busy at work on the computer and not